| AZoldcarguy | -- 09-10-2012 @ 1:34 PM |
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Beware, there are scammers in the EFV8 Classifieds. ---Late last week I placed a WTB (Want To Buy) in the classifieds for a part I needed. The following day I had two responses, each from different people and both saying they had what I was searching for. But it struck me odd that both were from the UK... hmmm, big coincidence..., and odd too that neither provided much description of what they had. However, the one who said he would take "65 pounds UK" invited me to "check out" an attached photo, which I did. I had seen the photo before - it was absolutely the same photo as in a currently running eBay auction for the same part... and the eBay part was located in Missouri and the seller had a good record with eBay. It was clear to me that the scammer saw my WTB and then searched eBay, found an auction with the needed part and copied the photo to his response to me - making it appear he had the part, it was a perfect ploy. And it might have worked but for my already being aware of the eBay auction and photo. I contacted the EFV8 about this and was advised that the Classifieds are open to everyone, not just members. My advice to all is to be extremely cautious with overseas non-EFV8 members, especially from the UK, and ask the right questions before buying/selling.
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| supereal | -- 09-10-2012 @ 2:07 PM |
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Wise words. Also, never pay in advance, unless you are using PayPal or other third party method. I rarely use classifieds of any kind, as past experience has taught me that almost always the description of the item and its condition are overblown, at best, and often, as mentioned above, likely to be a scam. When anyone asks for payment "up front", my standard reply is "send it, and if it is as described, I'll send the payment". I have yet to be taken up on that, even though many of the sources we use have done just that. The Early Ford Club classifieds are, like so much of the Internet, being spoiled by frauds. When in doubt, use one of the "people finder" sites to confirm that the person actually exists.
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| trjford8 | -- 09-10-2012 @ 8:09 PM |
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What's unfortunate is we have many good V-8 Club members in the UK and they periodically are put in the same category as the "scammers". It's dificult for our webmaster to separate out the "scammers" from the honest people when ads are placed. The secret is to check the language used in the response. Usually they have poor English and do not know the correct terminology for the part. Most of the "scammers" are from or in Nigeria. Somhow they manage to get a UK web address. Be on your toes and do not send any money or accept a cashiers check if you are unsure of the deal.Usually your first instinct is correct. Most of the UK folks are V-8 Club mermbers and are listed in our roster.Checking the roster is one clue to check a legitimate offer or check on a potential buyer.It's not 100%, but it sure helps with the identity.
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| Chevguy49Ford | -- 09-11-2012 @ 5:39 PM |
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When I placed an ad in the classifieds looking for a hood ornament for my car I got a couple of responses from the UK and one from the US. I looked in the latest roster to see which names were there and the only one that showed up was the gent from the US. I think his name was Bob Johnson if I recall correctly. I didn't trust the other two and that sealed the deal for me. I phoned him and made a deal. I got a perfect part for a price that I think was fair to both parties. Sadly you have to be VERY wary of who you are dealing with these days. Cheers, Scott. 1949 Custom Tudor. http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e42/35thLE/49016.jpg
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| AZoldcarguy | -- 09-14-2012 @ 10:05 PM |
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Glad to see the concurring and positive responses to my original posting. I wish to add something that, for the sake of brevity, I didn't mention in the posting. After reading Trjford8's post I see now that what I left out is significant in helping to screen for scammers. Trjford8 said "The secret is to check the language used in the response. Usually they have poor English and do not know the correct terminology for the part", and that "they are from Nigeria... and have UK addresses". In my case he is right on the money! In both UK responses to my WTB posting the sentences were awkward and capitalization and punctuation were very poor, and when I did ask back a question as to 3W or 5W it was ignored. It's good to be aware of this nuance. Also, the first thing I did after getting these overseas responses was to look in the roster to verify if they were EFV8 members - and they were not - and this put me into caution mode. A bit of caution is a good thing.
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| mdurhan | -- 09-18-2012 @ 2:15 PM |
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Yep. Them poor honest Brits are having their reputations suffered by these scammers. I feel badly for them. On the other hand, the poor honest Btits are the only ones who can fix this problem and purge this mess from their society. We here in the U.S. can't do much about it, except be on our guard..... Mike The 21st Century American Dream: A disability check.
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| mdurhan | -- 09-18-2012 @ 2:16 PM |
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. This message was edited by mdurhan on 9-18-12 @ 2:24 PM
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| Stroker | -- 09-18-2012 @ 2:48 PM |
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A couple of years ago, I posted an ad in the EV8CA classified's for a left-hand 1938 engine splash pan. Like you, I got an immediate response from the UK, which surprised me since a right-hand drive 38 would take a different pan. The price was high, but it's not an easy part to find. The alarm bell went off when the seller wouldn't accept PayPal, and provided me with a mailing address, which thanks to Google Earth and Street View, allowed me to scope out the tavern and flophouse that was the mailing address. I declined the offer, but of course I'm still looking for a left-hand pan.
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| 1932BB | -- 09-19-2012 @ 7:18 AM |
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I had the same exact experience when posting for a right hand splash pan for a BB. Same tavern and flophouse!
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| DEAN333 | -- 09-19-2012 @ 2:17 PM |
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I've had two emails the last 2 days from the UK, neither in the roster. One asked for my phone number the other asked me to call him. TIM CARLIG
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| AZoldcarguy | -- 09-25-2012 @ 10:56 AM |
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And the saga continues... scammers! Today I received another UK answer to the WTB ad I posted in the Classifieds earlier this month. And there was yet another one from the UK I received on September 20th. This makes four UK responses to my ad - the first two that caused me to start this thread and now two more. These latest contacts both used names made up of two normally 'first' names, i.e. George Robert or Richard James (not the names used). Also, both invited me to email them at addresses xxxx@gmail.com. As before, wording was a bit awkward and suspect. As expressed in earlier posts to this thread, "it's difficult to separate out the "scammers" from the honest people...," so we must be aware and be cautious with UK source contacts.
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